Funding awarded for car club schemes

SCOTLAND DRIVES FORWARD WITH LOW CARBON CAR CLUB IN BUTE

The first car club to be developed with assistance from a Scottish Government grant is being launched this afternoon by Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson.

The Isle of Bute is the first community to benefit from the grant, which aims to lower carbon emissions through making long term changes to peoples transport habits.

Awarded to Carplus, a national charity with experience of similar schemes for DfT, the £200,000 ‘Developing Car Clubs in Scotland’ grant is set to kick start car clubs and low carbon mobility initiatives across Scotland.

Mr Stevenson said:

“I am delighted to mark this occasion with the launch of Bute’s Give Up Your Car Challenge demonstration project and I hope it leads to a longer term Car Club starting on the island.

“Bute is the first of a number of communities that have embraced this greener transport initiative and I look forward to seeing these car clubs springing up across Scotland in the coming months.

“Your communities, with Carplus and Scottish Government support, are at the forefront of changing peoples transport habits, helping us to achieve our world leading targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions.”

Sheena Stone of Towards Zero Carbon Bute said:

“We are delighted to be one of the first to test a car club and low carbon alternatives including hybrid cars, electric and folding bikes and public transport in a rural community. This hopefully will lead the way to a permanent car club on the Isle of Bute and other rural areas.”

Chas Ball, Policy Director of Carplus said:

“Carplus has for over a decade supported the development of car clubs. We look forward to sharing our experience and expertise with communities and councils in Scotland".

Car clubs improve access to services and complement public transport networks. They also offer a cost effective measure to reduce carbon emissions from transport and we expect them to work well alongside other low carbon transport initiatives.

A review by the Transform Scotland Trust has initially identified eight locations taking the first steps towards car clubs, in Aberdeen City, Cupar, Isle of Eigg, Findhorn, Badenoch and Strathspey, Fintry, Dunbar and the Isle of Bute. These sites complement clubs already started by local authorities in Edinburgh (1999) and Glasgow (2010) and it is anticipated that locations will increase over time.

The scheme is part of the Scottish Governments Energy Efficiency Action Plan, which is committed to working with local authorities to increase the number of car clubs nationwide. The funding will enable the purchase of car club tools such as booking and billing software and vehicle insurance, and provide a network for car club providers to share knowledge and experience.